Sealing means for cowl ventilators for automobiles



June 17, 1930.

- H. M. HOOD SEALING MEANS FOR, COWL VENTILATORS FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Oct. 31, 1929 INVENTOR H Head).

ATTORNEYS Patented June 17, 1930 UNITED s'rnras PATENT" OFFICE- HARRY II. noon, on CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR. 'ro 'IEA'IHEREDGE RUBBER COMPANY, me, A CORPORATION or ILLmoIs SEALING MEANS FOR COWL vEivTILArons ron AUTOMOBILES Application filed October 31, 1929. Serial No. 403,697.

10 the bodymust be made below the line of the body and heretofore it has been necessary to make special provision to drain ofi' any rain that entered the joint between the two.

I- have discovered that by using sponge rubber and making the sponge rubber in proper shape, it is possible to interpose between the body .and the cover-plate a seal which is so water-tight that no provision for draining off water need be provided. In carrying out my invention, a mass of sponge rubber is located around the edge of the.

opening and carried by the fixed body members. upwardly extending flange toward the center of the hole which preferably extends slightly- .above the body line when the ventilator is open. The cover-plate has a flange adapted to contact with the mass of the sponge-rubber quite close to the body. As the flange on the cover presses into the rubber. mass, its tendency is to tilt upwardly the fiangefof the sponge rubber, but at the same time the horizontalportion of the cover-plate strikes this flange pushing it down so that the-surface skin which'is always found on molded sponge rubber articles is substantially stretched, keeping both points of contact under considerable tension and keeping a small air space between these joints. If any water collects against the flange of the cover-plate and there is a point of leakage so that it is forced past 'this first scam, the air will lose velocity in the open space between the two sealing joints and the moisture will tend to splatter against the sides of this space and run back down to the lowest point. As a result, practically no water will be carried up to the second sealing joint and thus cannot be carried into the body of the car. If water has collected 59 around the cover-platewhile it is closed (as This mass of sponge rubber has air for example when the car is washed) and the cover-plate is opened, there is no danger of such water being spilled through on to the legs of the occupants of the car, for the rubber flange will rise up. to a oint above the body line before a free passag'efor the water is open,-a nd such water will quickly dryup as the car is used. If desired, the flange on therubber body'maybe given a reverse turn so that wind pressure from the outside will tend to force it more tightly-against 'tlie' cover-plate, but this ordinarily is not neces- My invention may be readily understood from the illustrative example shown in the accompanying drawings. In these drawings, Fig. 1 is a view showing a portion of the cowland the ventilator with the rubber seal in place; Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the cover-plate partly open; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the coverplate closed; and Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating the force exerted on the rubber seal bya member similar to the flange on the cover-plate.

In the drawings, 10 is' the usual cowl of the automobile body having a ventilator opening 12 provided with a cover 14 hinged in the usual manner so that when the cowl is opened all four edges will be lifted above the cowl 10. The cover 14 has a, downwardly depending flange 16 which runs entirely about its perimeter. Around the hole 12, the metal which forms the cowl 10 is bent downwardly and then inwardly to form a hook as clearly shown at 18 in Figs. 2, 3, and

4. It is to be understood that the hook 18 runs entirely around the hole 12. Snapped v 18, as indicated at 24 in Fig. 4, the sponge rubber below such piece of metal would be compressed, and the tension along the skin surface would cause the flange 22 totilt u wardly to theposition shown in Fig- 4. iii actual practice when the cover-plate 14 is closed, the flat portion of the plate will strike the flange 22 while the flange 16 is entering the mass of the rubber and will push the flange 22 down to the position shown in Fig.

3, while the pressure of flange 16 tends to raise it, thus even further increasing the tension on the. surface of the rubber so that a space 26 will be left open along the line where the flange 16 joins the cover-plate 14. If any Water collects around the cover-plate outside of the flange 16 and the wind pressure becomes great enough to force particles of this Water past the flange 16, such water will be sprayed into the space 26 and simply flow back tothe bottom of the space unless sufficient water leaks in to fill practically all of the space around the cover-plate. Thus very edge.

little water will be brought up to the line of contact between the flange 22 and plate 14 and this contact will be under considerable tension to prevent such water from being forced inside the car.

It is to be understood that the example given is by way of illustration only, and may be modified in man particulars and details without departing rom the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is: I v

1. A cowl ventilator construction for automobiles comprising in combination, a cowl member having a ventilator opening, a sponge rubber body positioned around such opening with an upturned flange at its inner edge, and a cover member having a downwardly extended flange adapted to compress the body of sponge rubber and thereby tend to tilt the flange of the sponge rubber body upwardly while said cover member presses against such rubber flange to depress the I same. 4 k

2. A construction as specified in claim 1, in which said sponge rubber body is positioned with its outer edge substantially at the level of the cowl member adjacent such 3. In combination,. a support frame, a sponge rubber body held in such framewith one edge free, an upturned flange on such free edge and a cover member having a flat portion and a down-turned flange adapted to be moved towards said frame so that such down-turned flan e of the cover member will compress the body of sponge rubber and thereby tend to tilt the flange of the sponge rubberbody towards the flat portion of such member while such flat portion presses such flange in the opposite direction.

- HARRY M. HOOD.- 

